Radiator tool and brush combinations for vacuum cleaners



Nov. 5, 1957 F. A. GALL 2,811,738

RADIATOR TOOL AND BRUSH COMBINATIONS FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Dec. 16,1953 V I, I la 36 22 433 23 3436 24 B 44 INVEN TOR.

Francis A. Gall WITNESS" r 1 v MWW 829 ATTORNEY United States Patent MRADIATOR TOOL AND BRUSH COMBINATIONS FOR VACUUM CLEANERS ApplicationDecember 16, 1953, Serial No. 398,501

3 Claims. (Cl. 15328) This invention relates to vacuum cleaners and moreparticularly to an improved combination radiator tool and brush adaptedfor use at the end of a hose for cleaning radiators and upholstery andfor dusting; the primary object of the invention being to provide animproved device of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a radiator type cleaningtool having an improved brush that may easily be attached to or removedfrom the tool.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a radiator typecleaning tool that may quickly be transformed into an upholsterycleaning nozzle or into a dusting brush.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved vacuum cleanertool which ha many diiferent uses.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear,the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

The features of the invention and advantages attained thereby willreadily be understood from the following detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a cleaning tool embodying theinvention,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the tool shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the tool shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 except that the brush has beenremoved and the slider, as shown in solid lines, has been moved to openposition,

Fig. 5 is a top view of the device shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

As seen in the drawings, the combination tool of the present inventioncomprises a member 10 of the type generally referred to as a radiatortool. The radiator tool 10 has a cylindrical tubular portion 11 which isof proper size for connection to the free end of a flexible hose (notshown) which, in turn, may be connected to the intake mouth of a vacuumcleaner (not shown). At a location indicated by the numeral 12, thecylindrical portion 11 blends into an oval tubular portion 13 having twoflattened side walls 14 and 16 and two curved side walls 17 and 18. Thefree open end of the oval portion 13 is cut on a bevel 19 ofapproximately forty-five degrees (45) to provide the characteristic thinpointed suction mouth 21 usually associated with radiator tools.

The present device differs from ordinary radiator tools heretoforemanufactured in that, first, one of the flattened sides 16 is providedwith three oblong apertures 22, 23 and 24, second, a slider 26 isslidably mounted on the outer face of the wall 16, and, third, the ovalportion 13 is provided with means for mounting a dusting brush 27.

As best seen in Fig. 1, the apertures 22, 23 and 24 are 2,811,738Patented Nov. 5, 1957 staggered so that aperture 22, which islocated-nearest to the tubular portion 11, is adjacent to the curvedwall 18, whereas the aperture 23, which is next remote from the portion11, is located adjacent to the curved wall 17, and the aperture 24,which is nearest the beveled end 19, is adjacent to the curved wall 18.The slider 26 is in the form of a flat plate having parallel upper andlower edges 28 and 29, one square end edge 30 and one beveled edge 31,the latter having a forty-five degree (45) slope so that the edge 31, asseen in Fig. 4, may extend parallel to the beveled end 19 of the ovaltube 13. The slider 26 is provided with three oblong apertures 32, 33and 34, these apertures being staggered in the same manner as thecorresponding apertures 22, 23 and 24 are staggered and positioned sothat when the slider 26 is moved to the position shown in solid lines inFig. 4, the apertures 32, 33 and 34 in the slider 26 will be alignedexactly with the corresponding aperture 22, 23 and 24 in the wall 16.The slider 26 is slidably held to the wall 16 of the tubular portion 13by means of a pair of headed rivets 3636 which are secured to the slider26 and pass through a pair of colinear slots 3737 in the wall 16. Theheads of the rivets 36-36 are larger than the width of the slots 3737and thus the slider 26 is held against the wall 16. The slider 26 isprovided with a roughened thumb-engaging pad 38, thus facilitating themovement of the slider 26 along the wall 16. As best seen in Fig. 4, thelength of the slots 3737 are such that when the slider 26 is moved tothe position where apertures 32, 33 and 34 align with the apertures 22,23 and 24, the rivets 36-- 36 are located in one end of the slots 3737,whereas when the slider26 is moved to the position (Fig. 1) so that theapertures 22, 23 and 24 are covered by the slider 26, the rivets 36+36are at the other end of the slots 3737.

In order to support the dusting brush 27, the radiator tool 10 has beenmodified by, (a) the attachment of a headed pin 41 to the curved side 17adjacent to the place 12 where the side wall 17 blends into thecylindrical por tion 11, (b) the formation of a notch 42 at the placewhere the side wall 17 ends and the beveled mouth 21 begins, (c) theforming of a notch 43 at the extreme pointed end of the mouth 21, and(d) the provision of a small hole (44) in the curved side 18 close tothe notch 43. The brush 27 is formed from a stiff spring wire 46 bentback on itself and twisted together to support a multiplicity ofbristles 47 which radiate from the twisted wire 46 in an arc, as seen inFig. 6, of approximately two hundred and eighty degrees (280). Ingeneral the brush 27 is J-shaped in form and a short tightly twistedunbristled free end 48 of the twisted wires enters the hole 44. The end48 is disposed at an angle of ninety degrees with respect to anunbristled portion 49 and a bristled portion 59. The sections 49 and 50are disposed at an angle of 90 with respect to a bristled section 51.The section 51, which may be termed a link section, is disposed at anangle of 90 with respect to a bristled section 52. When the brush 27 isremoved from and thus unsupported by the tool 10, the section 52 isdisposed at an angle of approximately one hundred and fifty-five degrees with respect to a bristled section 53 which ends in a smallunbristled section 54 having a free-end loop 56. However, when the brush27 is installed on the tool 10, the section 53 is flexed downwardly fromthe dotted position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in solid linesin Fig. 1 which shows sections 53 and 54 to be parallel with the sidewall 17. When this is done, the loop 56 is sprung over the headed pin 41in such a manner that the sections 53 and 54 are held parallel to theside wall 17. This locks the brush 27 to tool 10 in such a manner thatit will not be released during normal use of the tool and brush. Thisdownward flexing causes the brush section 53 to' become substantiallycolinear with the brush section 52 and causes the brush section 53 tobecome parallel with the brush section 50, which is also parallel withthe brush section 52.

'Persons versed in the.art .will appreciate that the above describeddevice may be used in several different ways. For example, when thebrush 27 is removed from the tool and the slider 26 is moved to closethe apertures 22,, 23 and 24 the tool becomes an ordinary radiator'tool.This is clearly indicated by the dotted position of the slider 26 inFig. 4. If the slider 26 is moved to the position shown in solid linesin 'Fig. 4, the apertures 32, 33 and 34 in the slider 26 will align withthe apertures 22, 23 and 24 and the tool is converted into an upholsterynozzle. If the slider26 is moved to close the apertures 22, 23 and 24,and the brush. 27 is attached in a manner shown in Fig. l the tool isconverted into a dusting brush. If the slider 26 is moved from theclosed position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 to the position indicatedby dotted lines, the apertures 32, 33 and 34 align with the apertures22, 23 and 24 and the tool is converted into an upholstery nozzleprovided with a dusting brush.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claimhereinis:

l. A combination tool adapted for use at the end of a vacuum cleanerhose, said tool comprising a cylindrical tubular portion for attachmentto said hose, an oval tubular portion formed integral with saidcylindrical portion and having abeveled open end, a flat wall formed onone side of, said oval portion, said wall being provided with threeoblong apertures staggered with respect to one another,.a sliderslidably mounted on said wall, saidslider having three oblong staggeredapertures which by movement of said slider may be aligned with saidapertures in said flat wall, a pair of opposed curved side walls formedon said oval portion, one of said side walls being provided with a holeadjacent to the beveled end of said oval tubular portion, and the otherof said side walls being provided with a headed pin located adjacent tothe said cy- ,linrical portion, and bothof said curved side walls wherethey join the beveled end of the oval portion being provided with anotch, and a brush attachable to said tool, said brush havinganunbristled end inserted into said hole in one of said curved walls, afirst bristled section extending from said hole to one of said notches,a second bristled section extending between said notches and a thirdbristled section extending beyond said last notch, an unbristled sectionextending beyond said third bristled section, and a loop carried at theextreme end of said last named unbristled section, said loop engagingsaid headed pin, said third bristled section and said last unbristledend forming a member bent outwardly away from a parallel position withrespect, to said curved side walls prior to said loop being engaged withsaid pin. 7

2. A combination tool adapted for use at the end of a vacuum cleanerhose, said tool comprising a tubular portion for attachment to saidhose, a flattened tubular portion attached at one end to said tubularportion and at itsother endformed with an-open end,-a flat wall formedon one side of said flattened portion, said wall being provided with aplurality of apertures, a slider slidably mounted on said wall, saidslider having a plurality of apertures which by movement of said slidermay be aligned with said apertures in said flat wall, a pair of opposededge Walls formed on said flattened portion, one of said edge wallsbeing provided with a hole, and the other of said edge walls beingprovided with a headed pin, a brush having an end inserted into saidhole in one of said edge walls, a first brush section extending fromsaid hole to the open end of said flattened tubular portion, a secondbrush section extending across the open end of said flattened tubularportion, and a third brush section extending from said second sectionand having a portion which extends at an acute angle away from the edgewall which carries carries said headed pin prior to engagement therewithand a loop carried at the extreme end of said third brush section, saidloop engaging said headed pin.

3 A combination tool adapted for use at the end of a vacuum cleanerhose, said tool comprising a tubular portion for attachment to saidhose, a flattened tubular portion attached at one end to said tubularportion and at its other end formed with an open end, a fiat wall formedon one side of said flattened portion, said wall being provided with aplurality of apertures, a slider slidably mounted on said wall, saidslider having a plurality of apertures which by movement of said slidermay be aligned with said apertures in said fiat wall, a pair of opposededge walls formed on said flattened portion, one of said edge wallsbeing provided with ahole, and the other of said edge walls beingprovided with a headed pin, and both of said edge walls being providedwith a notch, a brush attachable to said tool, said brush having an endinserted into said hole in one of said walls, a first brush sectionextending from said hole to one of said notches, a second brush sectionextending between said notches and a third brush section extendingbeyond said last notch, a fourth brush section extending beyond saidthird brush section,

and a loop carried at the extreme end of said fourth brush section, saidloop engaging said headed pin, one of said last two named brush sectionsforming a member bent outwardly away from a parallel position withrespect to said edge walls prior to engagement of said loop with saidpm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,053,665 Spencer Feb. 18, 1913 2,206,738 Brocket al. July 2, 19402,243,120 Pollitt May 27, 1941 2,659,924 Forsberg Nov. 24, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS 1,046 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1897 502,239 Great Britain Mar. 14,1939 540,869 Germany Dec, 20, 1931 625,072 Great Britain June 21, 1949

